Chinese Cinema is a big mystery to the mass audience. Chinese cinema has many films with exciting plots, modern special effects, incredible acting, and an indescribable national flavor that we won't see anywhere else. When we think about great Chinese movies, we immediately think about Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which is a must- watch movie along with many other great ones. There are many great Chinese movies that should be watched by all generations at least once. Today we will look at the top ten Chinese films that are a must watch for our age and consist of both new and timeless classics.
1. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, set in China’s Qing Dynasty, follows the story of characters Li Mu Bai and Yu Shu Lien, who are in search of a stolen sword. This film is known for introducing the Wuxia genre to Hollywood studios. This film has excellent martial arts. and an enthralling storyline. The story is about the 19th century when a warrior gives his sword to his lover to deliver to safe keeping. But the sword gets stolen and the search leads to epic events. This movie won four Oscars.
2. Red Cliff
Red Cliff is set in the period of the Three Kingdoms era and gives viewers a dramatic interpretation of the turning point of China's history. The story is about China before it got unified into one country, and how there was a cluster of warring states, each wanting to grasp power. Split into two parts, it features tens of historical characters. It’s also said in an interview that only 50 percent of the movie was factual.
3. Hero
Hero is still considered one of the most visually stunning Chinese movies filmed that should be watched by everyone. The story is about an attempted assassination of Qin Shihuang, the notorious and brutal emperor of China. This movie also shows the various political philosophies in a contest during that era of Chinese imperial history.
4. Farewell My Concubine
Farewell, My Concubine is a historical drama chronicle that shows the relationships between two Peking opera actors and lifelong friends, Cheng Dieyi, and Duan Xiaolou. Cheng plays the female role, and Duan plays the male role. Cheng has an unrequited love for Duan, but Duan’s subsequent marriage to Juxian further complicates the love triangle. It is the first Chinese language film to win an award at Cannes.
5. Ip Man
Ip Man stars Donnie Yen. The story is about the renowned Grandmaster of Wing Chun, who is living peacefully with his family in Foshan, Guangdong. But everything changes when the Japanese invaders come, and Ip Man is forced to step forward, and teach everyone to protect themselves using the secrets of Wing Chun and become the champion the people desperately need. It has four parts and the first part is a must watch.
6. The Flowers Of War
The Flowers Of War is a historical war movie based on a novella, 13 Flowers of Nanjing starring Ni Ni, Christian Bale and many more. The story is set in Nanking, China, during the Nanking Massacre in the Second Sino-Japanese War. It’s about an American who poses as a priest and tries to protect a group of Chinese students and prostitutes from finding refuge in a church compound trying to survive the Japanese atrocities.
7. City Of Life And Death
The City Of Life And Death is also known as Nanjing! Nanjing. The film deals with the Battle of Nanjing and follows the massacre committed by the Japanese army during the Second Sino- Japanese War. The story is of a conflicted Japanese soldier and a Chinese officer, which draws attention to the atrocities committed by Japanese forces during the 1937 occupation of Nanking.
8. Chungking Express
Chungking Express is a romantic crime comedy-drama film. The movie consists of two stories which are told in sequence, and each is about a lovesick Hong Kong policeman mulling over his relationship with a woman. The first story is of a cop obsessed with his breakup with a woman, and he encounters a mysterious drug smuggler. The second story is about a police officer roused from the gloom loss of his flight attendant girlfriend by the attentions of a quirky snack bar worker.
9. House Of Flying Daggers
House Of Flying Daggers is a wuxia romance film starring Andy Lau, Zhang Ziyi, and Takeshi Kaneshiro. The House Of Flying Daggers is known for taking down enemies, robbing the rich and helping the poor. The authorities didn’t like the activities of the daggers, so they sent two imperial agents to spy on dancer Mei, who is connected to the House. Unlike other wuxia films, this is more of a love story.
10. In The Mood For Love
In the Mood for Love is a well-known romantic drama film. It’s a co-production between Hong Kong and France. The story portrays a man (Tony Leung) and a woman (Maggie Cheung) who are neighbors who form a strong bond after they suspect extramarital activities of their spouses. They both begin to fall for one another; however, they agree to keep their bond platonic as neither wants to stoop to the level of unfaithful spouses.
